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The X-Files: I Want to Believe (PG-13, 2008)

common sense media says

Second X-Files movie is grisly, disappointing.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the second X-Files movie (which is a stand-alone story, not a continuation of the series' core conspiracy) is more likely to appeal to adult fans of the '90s TV show than to teens, though some may still be interested. Be warned that it's pretty grisly (more so than the earlier movie): It includes graphic, horrifyingly detailed depictions of "scientific" medical procedures on unwilling victims, including lengthy, Silence of the Lambs-esque moments of a young woman in captivity awaiting her fate and images of severed limbs, ghastly stitches, copious amounts of blood, and more. Also, a psychic helping the FBI investigate the abduction of an agent is a convicted pedophile ex-priest with 37 victims; the character's crimes are in the past -- and deeply regretted -- but still discussed at great length.

Positive messages: Extensive discussion of proof versus faith; discussions of medical ethics and the desire to prolong life by any means necessary, including stem-cell therapy. A doctor struggles with the best way to help a terminally ill young boy. Mention is made that two male suspects in a criminal investigation are "married in Massachusetts."
Violence: Kidnapping, fighting, and very extensive, gory surgical imagery. Some of the procedures are non-consensual; images include severed limbs and heads (shown on screen), head transplants, organs being handed around, transfusions, scars, and more. A car is driven/pushed off the road with malice twice; guns, sticks, and trowels are used as weapons; a supporting character falls to their death, with the implication that they're impaled at the end of their fall. Dogs attack characters; humans are injected with animal tranquilizer against their will. Animals are used in gruesome experiments. A supporting character (an ex-priest) is a convicted pedophile with 37 past victims; discussions of buggery and castration. Several scenes take place in a halfway house for paroled sex offenders.
Sex: A couple snuggles in bed; some kissing; mild sexual innuendo as part of a long-term relationship.
Language: "Ass," "balls," and "s--t" are used sporadically.
Consumerism: Minimal.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: A supporting character smokes, with grave health ramifications as part of the plot.
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More on The X-Files: I Want to Believe

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the phenomenon of The X-Files TV show and this film's appearance in theaters six years after it ended (and 10 years after the first movie). Is there an artistic reason for these characters to return, or just the hope of financial reward for the studio? Families can also discuss many of the questions raised in the film: What's the difference between faith and belief? When does the attempt to extend human life in the face of illness cross moral and ethical lines? Can a criminal earn forgiveness for horrible crimes?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Picking up after the finale of The X-Files TV series, THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE begins with the kidnapping of a female FBI agent. An FBI team searches desperately for clues under the direction of a psychic, Father Joseph Crissman (Billy Connolly), who guides the team to a severed male arm buried in deep snow. A convicted pedophile, Crissman is hardly the most reliable source, so the FBI reaches out to ex-agent Dr. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and asks her to locate former partner Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), who specialized in cases involving unexplainable phenomena. Soon Mulder and Scully are back up to their necks in conspiracy, psychic visions, questions of faith and redemption, and bloody murder.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Coming to theaters six years after the end of the TV series and a decade after the last big-screen outing for The X-Files, it's a little hard to see the point of X-Files: I Want to Believe. The film doesn't really intersect with the aliens-and-shadowy-humans conspiracy mythos explored throughout the series and in the prior film; instead, it's a stand-alone story that feels a little lonesome, as if no one could think of any reason beside the profit motive for returning to the franchise. Fans will no doubt be disappointed by the film's avoidance of director (and series creator) Chris Carter's squirrely rat's nest of entanglements and secrets that was the hallmark of the series; non-fans probably won't care in the first place.

Worse, The X-Files: I Want to Believe squanders both Duchovny and Anderson. Duchovny slouches back into action-hero mode, armed with his faith in the unknown and avid desire to understand the incomprehensible; Anderson gets to agonize over the questions surrounding a young child with a terminal illness. Both of the actors are capable of more than this, and it feels like they know it. The subplot involving Connolly's psychic pedophile priest comes out of nowhere and stays there, never really engaging the audience and wasting the charisma and charm that stand-up-comic-turned-actor Connolly has brought to prior roles in films like Mrs. Brown and Fido. Moody, murky, and graphically grisly, The X-Files: I Want to Believe seems like a film made solely to make money. But will it even be able to find box-office dollars years after the series' original pop-culture cachet has come and gone?

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Chris Carter
Cast: Amanda Peet, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson
Genre: Science Fiction
Run time: 104 minutes
Theatrical release: July 25, 2008
DVD release: December 1, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: violent and disturbing content and thematic material.
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This review was written by James Rocchi
 
 

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What parents & educators say

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Ricochet94
teen, 17 years old
14
 
This was... interesting. It was very grisly and disturbing - even for the X-Files. To top it off; it wasnt that good. Stick with the TV show and the first movie. And lets hope Chris Carter lets someone else direct the new movie, like he did the original. (And btw, the Extended Cut is REALLY disturbing. Definitely R rated.
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SLUMDOG
teen, 14 years old
14
 
boo comonsensemedia the film rocks
i don't get why people diss this movie the film is awesome now the plot may gross you out due to it revolves around selling organs on the black market. the fil m is really good. the dark atmoshpere is only for series fans you besides you only want to watch if you want an excellent thriller or a fan of the show
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code2264
teen, 16 years old
13
 
its awsome
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ajgy
adult
 
15 Plus
Yellow For 16 Plus Strong Violence,Sex Matriel,Language,Drinking,Gore,and Strong Content!!!!!
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Chris LP
adult
 
Very different from the TV show for the better
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Michikorabbit2
teen, 16 years old
13
 
I Want to Believe that this was a Good Movie
My dad and I are into X-files. I'm not as big of fan as he is, but I still think it's cool. But this... this insult to the series... it was just awful. You know, I expected and X-files movie to be about, you know, ALIENS or MONSTERS or something. But instead, we get... oh, it'll take too long to explain. I was seriously contemplating just getting up and leaving the theater.
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Sonicblue03
adult
 
Great If you were already an x-files fan.
This movie was good if you were already a fan. Otherwise you would be left in the dark by some references and background info. I believe it gave me better closure to the x-files than the series finale did. I hope there are more x-files movies to come but could settle for dvd releases. p.s. Loved the George Bush scene
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KennyMcCormick
teen, 13 years old
15
 
The X-Files 2!
Pretty gory and creepy.
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discardedheart
adult
 
love, just love.
as a fan of many years.. i found this movie to be a great extension to the series. seeing agents scully and mulder together again was nearly as good as a huge stack of presents sitting under the christmas tree :D unlike other viewers who have dissed the movies plot.. i found it to be quite interesting to follow. being a fan of the television series isn't necessary to view and greatly enjoy this movie (or the last one.)
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STFan
adult
 
Don't waste your money
This was a horribly disappointing movie. The excitement that was building up for this movie made me leave half way through the movie because it was so bad. There is no way a 13 year old should be viewing this film. The movie should have picked up from where the other one ended. This was 2 hours of my life I want back.
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redsoxrulec321
adult
 
KINDVE RAUNCHY
TOO INTENSE. YOU CAN WATCH IT WHEN YOUR 13
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